Improvement in breech-loading pire-arms



@uiten tant latent @fitta ELI WHITNEY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 71,349, dated November 26, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREEGH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

.TO ALL WHOM IT MAY GONGERN:

Be it known that I, ELI WHITNEY, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and'ivmproved Brooch-Loading Arm; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a double-barrel shot-gun, having my invention applied.v to it.

Figure 2 is a. top view of the gun, with the barrels moved away from the breech-head, as in iig. 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal central section through the piece, with the barrel in a position for firing.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through one of the barrels, and its breech-closer, with a cartridge-shell, in proper position. l

Figure 5 is a view of the breech ends 0i' the two barrels.

Figure 6 is a view of the front endof the breech-closer.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

The first part of my invention relatesto an improvement in constructingr double-barrel shot-guns for fixed ammunition, whereby both barrels can be moved forward and backward, in a line coinciding with their axes, by means of a guard-lever, for the purpose of exposing their'brcech-ends for receiving thc cartridges, and admitting of the remove-l of the shells after the discharge of the loads. At the same time I make provision for firmly supporting both -barrels and uniting them together, and resisting any movement of them consequent upon a discharge of the piec, as will be hereinafter described.

The second part of my invention relates to improvements on double or single-barrel sid e-arms, und consistsin constructing the breech-closer on the forward end of a solid lock-frame, and adapting this closerto serve as a solid abutment, and also a receiver for the butt oi a flanged cartridge and the reduced end of the barrel, as will be hereinafter described. I Y

It also consists in the application of spring-extractors to the frame of the arm, for receiving and extracting the cartridge-shells during the act of moving the barrel or barrels' of the piece forward in a right line, said springs being pivoted at their rear ends so as to arrest and hold the shells, as will be hereinafter described.

It also consists in adapting' a side-arm, either double or single barrel, -which has a mo'vable barrel and stationary breech, to receive cartridge-shells which are constructed with a projecting percussion-pin, that is struck by a hammer that is located outside of the frame of the piece, aswill be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the frame of the piece, which is cast hollow, to receive within it the lock, the hammers E being applied to pins a, which have their inner end bearings in a central partition, A1, and their outer end bearings in circular plates o', which latter are tted into holes that are made through the sides of the frame. The forward portionef the frame A has two circular enlargements formed on it, which are lettered b b, and will be hereinafter more fully explained. Below these enlargements b b the frame A is extended out so as to form receptacles A2 .AZ for the wooden forked pieces A3 A3, that serve, in conjunction with the metallic projections A2 A2 ofthe frame, as supports and guides for the two barrels B B. I The inner surfaces of these wooden guides A3 are parallel to each other, and, being separated, they form a'slot for the reception of along tenen, B', that projects Afrom the barrels, as shown in figs. 1, 3, and 5. The guides A3 are secured rigidly to the projecting metallic portions A2 of the frame A, and they are connected together by a bridge-piece, c, which is situated in front of the abutting portions b b, as shown in figs. 2 and 3. These guides are further strengthened by means of transverse pins, as will be further described.

The two barrels B B are rmly secured together by means of the'web d and the central tenon B', these parts being brazed to the barrels, or secured to them in any other suitable manner. The long tenen B', which projects down between the two barrels, has alongitudinal slot, el', through it, through which pass transversely two pins c e', which serve to connect the barrels to the frame of the piece.

These two barrels B B are moved forward and backward in a right line, by means of two llevers C C. The lever C is pivoted atf to the rear end of the slotted tenen B', and also to the lever C atf. The lever C is pivoted at g to the frame, by means of a transyl ,g. When the guard-lever C is moved forward tol the position shown in iig. 1, the two barrels Bwniovcd forward, so as to leave a space between their breech-ends and the enlarged abutments b, as shown in figs. 1 and'2. Inthis position ofthe barrels, the cartridges can be readily introduced into them, or thevcartridge-shells can be removed from.. said breech-closers. When the guard-lever is drawn back to the position shown in ig. 3, the two barrels B -B will be brought snug'ly against the breech-closers I; b, and locked in this position by means of said guard-lever being brought in or nearly in a line parallel to the axes of the barrels, and secured in this position by means of a latch or other convenient fastening placed at thc" rear end of said lever. A tongue or tenen, g', projects from thc upper vedge of the guard-lever C', and enters a slot or depression which is made in a lower web, wh-ich is between the barrels,

and greatly assists in holding the Abarrels to their place during the discharge of the piece. The two' levers, C

and C', are so shaped and put together that when .the barrels are in position for firing the piece,I these levers will lie closely within their slot, and oiier no obstruction to the handling of the piece. i I

The enlarged and rounded abutments Z1 b, which are formed on the front end ofthe frame A, which encloses the lock, have annular recesses formed in them, for the purpose of receiving the annular flanges on the butts of the cartridge-shells, as shown in figs. 4 and 6, and these abutments 6 b are also recessed, for the purpose of receiving the annular flanges 7L t, which are formed on the breech-ends of the barrels. These abutments, therefore, serve as seats for the cartridges and breech-closers for the barrels, when the latter are in the position shown in gs. 3 and 4.

The cartridge-shells may be made of copper, steel, or other suitable metal, and I intend providing each shell with a percussion or firing-pin, ,which passes through the shell just in front of its flange, and is seated upon a percussion-cap, 'which is held in a recess inthe butt of the shell, as shown in figs. 4and 6. I desire to construct these cartridge-shells in such manner that they can be use'd for an indelnite length of time,iand reloaded by the gunner at pleasure. For this purpose I prefer to make the shells of steel, with their front edges very thin, and their butts suiieiently thick 'to have a recess in them for the reception oi' a percussioncap, er priming of any suitable description.

By reference to figs. 2, 4, 5, and 6, it will be seen that I have made short notchesj c in the portions b b and h h, for the reception ot' the upright pin z'. Thesev notches allow the pins z' on the cartridges to project from the enlargements b b, to be struck by the hammers E, and at the same time these notches allow the barrels B B to be brought snugly home in the recesses in said enlargements to eifectually close andsupport the breechends of the barrels.

The hammers E are constructed so as to strike upon the rounded surfaces of the enlargements, which receive through them the iiring-pins, so thatl these pins it' will not receive an undue blow, but only suicient to explode the cap or percussion-powder at the inner ends of said pins. rlhe cartridge-shells and their pins will thereby be prevented from receiving serious injury by repeated use.

I desire to extract the cartridge-shells from the barrels, and to retain them in the position shown in figs. 1 and 2, when the barrels are moved forward, so that the shells can be taken by hand from the extractorsandl put away for further use. For this purpose I employ two springs G G, of the character shown in figs. 1 and 4, and pivot both of these springs to the fatale of the' piece by means of a transverse pin, k. The body of each spring lies in a slot which is made in the wooden portion of the frame, and it is pivoted at its rear end, so that its forward end lies -loosely in the slot. The thin spring tongue curves upward and backward, andV termi-l nates at a point which is just in front of the flange of a cartridge when inserted in the breech b, as shown in gs. 1 and 4. The cartridges are inserted into the breech-ends of the barrels, when these barrels are in the position shown in iigs. -1 and 2, the pins it' on the cartridges projecting upward through the notches jj; The barrels are then brought back, and the flanged butts of the cartridge-shells seated `in their respective recesses in the breech-pieces b b, as shown in tig. 4. This movement willlbring the rearends of the springs G G in front of the anges on the cartridge-shells, so that,- when thebarrels are again moved forward, the shells will be retained by the springs, as sho-wn in figs. 1 and 2, and may be readily removed by hand, and reserved for fur ther-use. It is'not desired that the springs shall eject the shells from the piece, for in this case they would, in many instances, be lost. Hence the plan is adopted for holding the shells after they have been extracted from the barrels. The extracting-springs G G press the rear ends of the shells upward in theirrecessed breech-I closets b b, and thus hold them after the barrels vhave been moved forward.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire t secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The construction of the slotted and groovedtenon B on a double-barrel breech-loading shot-gun, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described. 4

2. The manner, substantially as herein described and shown, of constructing, arranging, and combining the stock, the lock,.the barrels, the levers, and the slotted grooved tenen B', for the purpose set forth.

3. Pivoting the spring-extractors G, which are constructed and arranged as described,'at their` rear ends,' as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The construction of the breech-closers b, and the hollow metallic lock-frame, in the manner and forthe purpose described, in combination with the reduced breech-end of the sliding barrels, as described.

5. The open slots k 7c, in combination with the open slots substantially in the manner and 'for the purpose described.

6. The slotted and grooved tenen B', attached firmly between the two barrels B B, and connected to a forked frame, A3 A3, and to two levers C C', all substantially in the-manner and for the purpose described.

ELI WHITNEY.

Witnesses:

H. D. Wnx'rn, WILLIS Bnrs'roL. 

